I Am Morgan

Chapter 15: Nazdarovya!

Kelly kisses my lips softly while Shay comforts Clarice. The baby was taken by nurses for a bath and change so they are taking this time to process what just happened. "I can't even imagine what this must feel like." I whisper to him and glance in their direction.

He kisses my forehead and shakes his head in disbelief, "we just need to be there for Shay."

"Yeah." I nod in agreement.

"He's all cleaned up, daddy." A nurse brings him back into the room and tries to give Kelly the baby.

"Oh, no, I'm not the... I'm not the... I'm...Okay." He takes the baby from the nurses arms and cradles him. "Hey, guy. Hey, bud." He smiles down at him and looks up at me.

"Daddy." I say and he grins cheekily.

"Hey, bud." He turns his attention back to the baby as I get a text and look down at my phone. It's Gabby. I read it and then immediately grab Shay and head us both downstairs to meet her.

We spit her talking to police and rush over. "Dawson. What happened?" I ask and she bursts into tears. "Oh, baby."

"I don't know." She cries and I pull her into a hug. She then explains what happened in the parking lot. They were talking and he was being all cagey like he has been the last few days. He walked away to his car and then was shot by someone in a passing S.U.V.

*

"Engine 51, Truck 81, Ambulance 61, possible drowning."

The air outside today is frosty and freezing cold. The whole of Chicago looks white and pale blue.

"We were playing and all of a sudden, Patrick fell in!" A kid runs to us, shouting.

"Please, help my son." A man says after.

"How long's he been under?" Boden asks.

"Three minutes, maybe more." He replies.

"Let's get that straight-frame to the edge of the lake right now." says Boden as everyone jogs forward, carrying kit.

"Exactly where did he fall in?" Casey asks.

"Right here." The dad tells us. "He came up for a second. Then he went right back down again."

"Keep feeding me line until I hit bottom. Then allow 6 more feet every time I tug twice, all right? When I tug three times, I've got the kid." Severide explains to Squad 3 wearing his diving suit.

"Please, God, please, find my boy!" The man says and Sev starts going down the ladder into the water.

We all stand around watching the still water and praying to God that they're both alright. The water is freezing and unsafe. "All right, he's at the bottom." Hadley tells us. The rope begins to move. "Three tugs! He's got him."

"Medics, get ready." Boden calls to us. "Mills, go with the ambulance as backup."

"Oh, my God. Is he alive? Patrick!" The dad panics, his breath coming out in swirling clouds.

We put him on the gurney and start the warming process before running back to the ambo, pushing him along to get him there as quickly as possible.

Mills pushes on his chest so water spouts out of mouth but he remains unconscious. Dawson begins to intubate after the water is out and I prepare medications.

"Pushing epinephrine." I announce and then I check for lung sounds to see if Dawson's in.
Shay, check for lung sounds. "You're in." I nod.

"Let's do a pulse check," says Dawson and Mills gets started on blood pressure. "Wait, wait, wait. Wait a second."